1. The Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.
2. Prayer to the Holy Spirit: Come, Holy Spirit, and send from heaven the ray of your light. Come, Father of the poor; come, giver of gifts; come, sweet light of hearts. O sweet rest, in labour you are rest, in heat refreshment, in weeping comfort. O most blessed light, fill the inmost hearts of your faithful, for without your power there is nothing in man, nothing that is pure. Cleanse what is defiled, water what is dry, heal what is wounded, bend what is rigid, warm what is cold, guide what has gone astray. Give your faithful, who trust in you, the seven gifts. Grant them the reward of virtue, grant them the goal of salvation, give them eternal joy. Amen.
3. Act of Contrition: O my Lord and my God, I am sorry with all my heart for all my sins, because by sin I have lost my soul and eternal blessings and deserved the pains of hell. And above all I am sorry because I have offended and insulted you, my Lord and my God, who are worthy of all honour and love. For this reason I hate sin above every evil. With your grace I would rather die than offend you again. I resolve to flee every occasion of sin and to make amends, as far as I can, for the sins I have committed. Amen.
4. The Offering: O most merciful Virgin, my Lady, we offer this Rosary according to the intention of all your devout servants who have pleased you by this holy devotion. We ask you, kind Lady, to receive us into their company and to accept this devotion from us through the merits of their virtues. Amen.
5. The Creed: We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, born of the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He will come again in great glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets and the apostles. And in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and we look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
6. On the large bead, the “Our Father”: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses and our sins, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
7. On the first of the three small beads: O God, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, exalt your Church and keep the See of Peter and all the ranks of the Church in true devotion. Amen.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, our Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
8. On the second bead: O God, grant peace and harmony among rulers and leaders, and uphold them in what is right against their enemies. Amen.
Hail Mary…
9. On the third bead: O God, bring back to the unity of the Church those of us who have gone astray, and enlighten the minds of unbelievers with the light of the Gospel. Amen.
Hail Mary…
10. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Then the mysteries of the Rosary are prayed: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful or Glorious.
For each of the five mysteries we pray the “Our Father” once, the “Hail Mary” ten times and the “Glory be” once.
At the end of each mystery, after the “Glory be”, we may add the prayer the Virgin taught the three children at Fatima:
“O my beloved Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell and of purgatory, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen.”
The Sorrowful Mysteries
[For Tuesday and Friday]
Offering: Virgin Mother of God, I offer you these five Sorrowful Mysteries for my brothers and sisters who share this Rosary with me and who are near death, so that your Son may grant them perfect repentance for all their sins, and that you may be their help and intercessor in that hour. Amen.
The First Sorrowful Mystery: The Agony in the Garden
Fruit of this mystery: Contrition
I offer you, Blessed Virgin, the great sorrow you felt when your Son Jesus prayed in the garden and his sweat fell like drops of blood.
Meditation: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done.” Jesus spoke these words, Mary, as he prayed in the Garden of Olives, because he knew full well that the cup he would drink in atonement for our sins would be extremely bitter. Help us, Mary, to fulfil the will of the heavenly Father by upright living, so that we may say like your Son: “Not my will, but yours.” Amen.
We pray: the “Our Father” once, the “Hail Mary” ten times and the “Glory be” once.
“O my beloved Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell and of purgatory, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen.”
The Second Sorrowful Mystery: The Scourging at the Pillar
Fruit of this mystery: Mortification of the senses
I offer you, Blessed Virgin, the great sorrow you felt when your Son was scourged with whips at the pillar.
Meditation: Every lash that touched the pure body of Jesus, bound to the pillar, was the price of our transgressions. Every pain caused by the cruel blows of the whips was because of sins we human beings committed against the divine will. What wrong had you done, gentle Lamb, to be scourged without mercy? O Mary, your deep sorrow, suffering with your Son, flooded your tender heart, and every lash tore at your heart. Help us to share in your Son’s wounds, so that through our love and forgiveness we may reach the mystery of his cross. Amen.
We pray: the “Our Father” once, the “Hail Mary” ten times and the “Glory be” once.
“O my beloved Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell and of purgatory, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen.”
The Third Sorrowful Mystery: The Crowning with Thorns
Fruit of this mystery: Contempt for worldly glory
I offer you, Blessed Virgin, the great sorrow you felt when your Son was crowned with a crown of thorns on his holy head.
Meditation: After enduring the agonizing pain of the scourging, O Redeemer, you were crowned with a crown of thorns and mocked because you said you were a king. Hatred filled their hearts, and malice and loathing blinded their eyes. You were crowned with thorns, you who came to sow love and mercy among people. Ask for us, Mary, that we may never share in tormenting your Son by committing sin, and that we may always remember that sin alone is the cause of all Jesus’ sufferings. Amen.
We pray: the “Our Father” once, the “Hail Mary” ten times and the “Glory be” once.
“O my beloved Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell and of purgatory, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen.”
The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery: The Carrying of the Cross
Fruit of this mystery: Patience and surrender
I offer you, Blessed Virgin, the great sorrow you felt when your Son carried his cross and, under its weight, bent and fell to the ground as if dead.
Meditation: O Christ, you carried the cross of redemption and walked the long road to Calvary without opening your mouth, knowing that this awaited you, for this is why you came into the world: to take away the sins of humanity by your cross. O Comforter of the afflicted, what comfort could ease this pain that crushes your compassionate heart? What comfort could wipe from your heart the anguish of a grieving mother watching her only Son stagger under the weight of his cross? Only our promise to you never again to dishonour the cross of the One who loved us and redeemed us. Amen.
We pray: the “Our Father” once, the “Hail Mary” ten times and the “Glory be” once.
“O my beloved Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell and of purgatory, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen.”
The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery: The Death on the Cross
Fruit of this mystery: Love and forgiveness of enemies
I offer you, Blessed Virgin, the great sorrow you felt when your Son died on the cross.
Meditation: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” We meditate with you, Mary, on these last words with which your Son gave up his spirit as he hung on the cross. He who created heaven and earth, who came to take away our shame, was lifted up on the wood of shame; he conquered death by death, he who is the Lord of life, so that we might live with him for ever. Your sorrow, holy Mother, equals all the suffering in the world. O Jesus and Mary, may our promise to you be sincere never to return to sin, so that we may be faithful to this glorious redemption until the last day of our lives. Amen.
We pray: the “Our Father” once, the “Hail Mary” ten times and the “Glory be” once.
“O my beloved Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell and of purgatory, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of your mercy. Amen.”
